Fluid or volatile cosmetic sampler package for subscription rate magazine insertion

Abstract

A closed carrier card for packaging a strip of sampler packettes for fluid or volatile cosmetic, beauty, or toiletry products is constructed in a manner suitable for insertion in periodical literature distributable through the U.S. Postal Service and which meets the criteria to be classified under the subscription rate. The closed carrier card is formed by sealing a cover card piece over a portion of a main card piece. The main card has a perforated margin which can be bound within the pages of the periodical literature. A one-way zipper is formed across the cover card piece for exposing a strip of sampler units sealed between the main card piece and the cover card piece. The sampler strip is permanently affixed between the two card pieces at a position such that when the zipper is opened, each of the sampler units become accessible for testing of the product. Each of the sampler packettes has a transparent window placed in alignment with a plurality of cutout windows formed in the carrier card so that the product may be viewed prior to opening. The sampler strip contains a plurality of sampler units of different colors, textures, or types, and is formed by sealing together a transparent composite laminate sealed and a composite laminate having a foil barrier layer to form a pouch for each unit. The transparent composite laminate includes a polymeric barrier layer having a moisture vapor transmission rate substantially similar to that of a foil film.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A product sampler package comprising: 
       a sampler packette containing a product sample;  
       a main card section having a front surface and a back surface;  
       a cover section having a front surface and a back surface, the cover section being adhered to the front surface of the main card section to form a closed carrier card, the sampler packette disposed between the main card section and the cover section, the cover section including:  
       a window for exposing at least a portion of the sampler packette; and  
       a removable portion for opening the carrier card to permit access to at least a portion of the sampler packette.  
     
     
       2. The product sampler package as recited in claim  1 , wherein the cover section is an extension of the main card section and is folded over to cover at least a portion of the main card section along a fold line separating the main card and cover sections. 
     
     
       3. The product sampler package as recited in claim  2 , wherein the fold line is perforated. 
     
     
       4. The product sampler package as recited in claim  1 , wherein the removable portion comprises a zipper. 
     
     
       5. The product sampler package as recited in claim  4 , wherein the zipper includes a pull tab and a strip defined by two parallel lines of perforations in the cover section. 
     
     
       6. The product sampler package as recited in claim  4 , wherein the zipper includes a pull tab and a strip defined by two parallel lines of angled die-cuts formed in the cover section. 
     
     
       7. The product sampler package as recited in claim  4 , wherein the zipper has a width such that when unzipped, a region under the cover section is exposed which is sufficiently large to uncover a portion of the sampler packette disposed between the main card and cover sections to permit opening of the sampler packette and sampling of the product contained therein. 
     
     
       8. The product sampler package as recited in claim  4 , wherein the cover section includes 
       a first region under which the sampler packette is disposed, the zipper being formed in the first region of the cover section, and  
       a second region which does not cover the sampler packette.  
     
     
       9. The product sampler package as recited in claim  8 , wherein the first region of the cover section is permanently sealed to the main card section. 
     
     
       10. The product sampler package as recited in claim  9 , wherein the first region is sealed to the main card section by an adhesive pattern applied substantially around the perimeter of the back surface of the first region, but wherein the back surface of the zipper is adhesive-free. 
     
     
       11. The product sampler package as recited in claim  9 , wherein the second region of the cover section is temporarily sealed to the main card section so as to be removable therefrom. 
     
     
       12. The product sampler package as recited in claim  11 , wherein the second region is sealed to the main card section by a light adhesive applied in a dot pattern around the perimeter of the second region on the back surface of the cover section. 
     
     
       13. The product sampler package as recited in claim  8 , wherein the first and second regions of the cover section are separated by a die-cut line which renders the second region detachable from the first region for removal from the carrier card. 
     
     
       14. The product sampler package as recited in claim  8 , wherein the second region of the cover section comprises a coupon having copy print printed on at least one surface thereof. 
     
     
       15. The product sampler package as recited in claim  4 , wherein the sampler packette has an openable region at which the package is designed to be opened to access the product contained therein, and wherein the zipper has a width such that when unzipped, the openable region of the sampler packette is exposed so that opening of the sampler packette can be performed. 
     
     
       16. The product sampler package as recited in claim  1 , wherein the main card section includes a die-cut line extending across the width of the main card section so as to create a margin region which can be bound within a periodical and by which the product sampler package can be separated from the periodical by tearing therealong. 
     
     
       17. The product sampler package as recited in claim  1 , wherein at least one of the main card section and the cover section are made from paperboard. 
     
     
       18. The product sampler package as recited in claim  1 , wherein the product sampler has a transparent or translucent window aligned with a corresponding window so that a product contained in the sampler packette can be viewed through the product sampler package. 
     
     
       19. The product sampler package as recited in claim  1 , further including marketing, advertising, or instructional material copy printed onto exposed portions of the front and back surfaces of each of the main card section and the cover section. 
     
     
       20. The product sampler package as recited in claim  1 , wherein the sampler packette comprises a strip of product sampler units each capable of containing a sample dose of a fluid product. 
     
     
       21. The product sampler package as recited in claim  20 , wherein each product sampler unit includes a pouch formed from two laminate films sealed around the shape of the pouch. 
     
     
       22. The product sampler package as recited in claim  21 , wherein each pouch includes a tip at which the product sampler unit is to be opened. 
     
     
       23. The product sampler package as recited in claim  21 , wherein each pouch is perforated along a top portion thereof to facilitate opening of the sampler unit. 
     
     
       24. The product sampler package as recited in claim  21 , wherein the sampler strip is perforated between adjacent pouches so that a region to be opened in each sampler unit may be isolated prior to opening a selected sampler unit. 
     
     
       25. The product sampler package as recited in claim  20 , wherein the product sample units of the sampler strip contain product samples which are mutually different in color, texture, or product type, and wherein each product sampler unit includes a transparent or translucent window aligned with a respective cutout window so that the respective product contained in each sampler unit may be viewed through the sealed product sampler package. 
     
     
       26. The product sampler package as recited in claim  1 , wherein the sampler packette is formed from a transparent or translucent cover laminate including a transparent or translucent barrier film having a moisture vapor transmission rate substantially equivalent to that of a foil barrier film.